Saturday, September 26, 2009

September 27/28, 2009

Pastor Waldschmidt
September 27th, 2009

Acts 16:22-34 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.
WHAT IS THERE TO SING ABOUT?
I. The Father who can do anything.
II. The son who redeemed us.
III. The Holy Spirit who brings us to faith.
In the name of the Father who gave us mouths to sing with, and of the Son who gave us reason to sing and of the Holy Spirit who worked faith in our hearts that is reflected in our songs, dear fellow redeemed children of God,
A pastor friend once told me the story of how he and a friend were out on a canoe on a choppy day and the canoe overturned. They spent several hours clinging to the canoe waiting to be rescued. They were both nearly exhausted. He confided to me that near the end of the ordeal he was singing, “I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb.” Some might ask, what did he have to sing about? Here he was in this awful situation facing exhaustion and maybe even death and he is singing. What is there to sing about?
In God’s Word today we see another pair of exhausted children of God. They have been beaten up and whipped for preaching about Jesus. Now they are sitting in jail in the stocks. Yet we hear about them singing praises to God. So we ask ourselves, “What is there to sing about?” As we look at God’s word today let’s see that there is plenty to sing about- plenty for Paul and Silas to sing about- plenty for you and me, often exhausted children of God, to sing about. We have a heavenly Father who can do anything. The Heavenly Father sent His Son to redeem us. We can sing about the Holy Spirit who brings us to faith.
This might seem like a silly question but have you ever gotten into trouble? That’s not a very nice feeling is it? Scripture says, “No discipline is pleasant at the time.” But later that discipline works something good. If getting into trouble is not very nice when we have done something wrong, imagine how Paul and Silas felt when they got into trouble for doing the right thing. They came to Philippi and were telling people about Jesus. There was a slave girl in the city who was really in bondage in two ways. She was owned by some people who were more concerned about making money than they were about her and she was possessed by an evil spirit. Apparently this evil spirit would “perform” by doing some fortune telling for people. She made all kinds of money for her owners. The evil spirit must have recognized Paul and Silas as being servants of the true God and took sort of an unusual plan of attack. The evil spirit made the girl follow Paul and Silas around shouting that “these men are servants of the Most High God who are telling you the way to be saved.” The evil spirit must have been saying this sarcastically or in a way that distracted from what Paul was saying because finally Paul became so troubled that he turned and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” Now Jesus is stronger than any evil spirit so the evil spirit had to come out. Then the slave girl’s owner found out that their “money making machine” was gone. They were not happy and they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the town’s magistrates. The crowd became an angry mob and “joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stock.”
On a pain scale of 1-10 flogging would probably be a 13. With rods or whips the skin on Paul and Silas’ back was ripped apart. They were thrown into the maximum security part of the prison and they were placed in the stocks. The stocks were not made to make the prisoner more comfortable. The prisoners legs where spread far apart and fastened tight. Soon terrible leg cramps would shoot through the muscles but you couldn’t move your legs in the stocks. To human eyes, there was not much to sing about. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” After all of that, Paul and Silas are singing hymns of praise to God. They knew their Heavenly Father was with them. They were singing a hymn of praise to the heavenly Father who can do anything who was just about to do a miracle. “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.”
Now I’ve seen pictures of earthquakes but they are not exactly surgical strikes. Normally in earthquakes, yes, the doors open up but that’s because the roof is collapsing in on them. Yes, chains come loose in earthquakes but that is mainly because the prison walls are being smashed apart. But in the middle of this violent earthquake, the Father who can do anything is at work. The doors are the prison were thrown open even deep into the maximum security portion of the prison where Paul and Silas were but yet no one is injured.
Has there been an earthquake in your life that you have been dealing with lately? Or maybe a flood of tears? You can sing a hymn of praise because your Heavenly Father can do anything. That Heavenly Father who can do anything promises that he is at work in the middle of that earthquake working some kind of a blessing for you. You know that that Heavenly Father loves you because He sent His Son to redeem you. There’s another thing for us to sing about- the Son who redeemed us.
“The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Those doors opening up meant that humanly speaking there was nothing to sing about that night for the jailer. As a Roman jailer whose prisoner escaped, you got what they were going to get. For this jailer apparently that meant a death sentence would be coming his way. It would seem that the jailer lived next door to the jail or in a house connected to the jail because he is right there and he is terrified. He saw those open cell doors and figured that it would be better for him to kill himself rather than face the Roman death sentence. He pulled out his sword but Paul quickly shouted that everyone is still there. It’s all OK. Apparently the jailer had been listening to some of what Paul and Silas were singing about because he fell at the feet of Paul and Silas and asked “What must I do to be saved?”
With the crumbling of that sturdy jail, the jailer was reminded that there would be a day where his life would come to an end. His conscience told him there was a wise and powerful God out there that he had disobeyed. He was reminded that what the Bible says is true, that “the fool has said in his heart, “there is no god.” Now he asks these servants of God “what must I do to be saved.” Paul and Silas point them to Jesus.
The Son who redeemed us is someone for us to sing about because he has redeemed us. There is a Chinese proverb that says, “In a broken nest there are no whole eggs.” That proverb brings out the truth of the Bible when it says, “flesh gives birth to flesh” and all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The world we live in is a broken nest and we are all cracked eggs. We’re born with a sinful nature and our sins have wrecked not only our lives but have wrecked our relationship with the one who can send an earthquake to open up prison doors. Since we have followed the devil over and over again we deserved to be imprisoned with him in the prisons of hell forever. There was no way for us to save ourselves. But God made a way for us to be saved. He sent His Son to redeem us. That’s something for us to sing about! Why would we sing about someone’s cruel and bloody death on a stake in the ground? We sing about it because of what it means for us. Jesus’ blood covers our sin. “Jesus thy Blood and Righteousness, my beauty are my glorious dress.” Jesus’ resurrection means we are going to live in heaven when we die. Because of Jesus we can sing, “I know that my Redeemer lives.”
Did you remember that the other prisoners are listening that night in the prison? They weren’t listening to the hymns because there was nothing else on the prison system radio or TV. The Bible uses the word for listening that is used when a doctor listens close for a heartbeat. The prisoners heard about Jesus. There were others listening to God’s word that night too. The jailer’s family got to hear to good news too. The Holy Spirit worked faith in your heart too. That’s another thing for us to sing about!
Can you imagine the contrast of the sounds that evening. The sounds of the jail doors opening up, the chains falling off, the terror of the prisoners who must have thought they would be crushed under the weight of the roof. The jailer must have hurried out of his house with his children screaming after the violent earthquake. In the midst of that chaos came the calming message of the Gospel. In the middle of that earth quake the Holy Spirit was working through God’s word bringing hearts to faith and strengthening faith. That’s something for us to sing about.
In the midst of all of the chaos of our lives God comes to us with the message of the Gospel. Woven into the hymns we sing is that Gospel message. That’s why the message is so comforting to us. There’s a contrast of sounds between the chaos of the world around us and the peace and calm the Holy Spirit brings us.
Whether it is here in church as our choirs sing or as we sing together or sittiing at home in our rocking chairs where only the Lord can hear or in the hospital room as we softly sing those hymns from memory, with His Word in song, God calms our hearts. He calms us with the same message he used with the jailer. Our God loves us, that he has redeemed us and we are His dear children. That’s something for us to sing about. Amen.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

September 13th, 2009

September 13/14, 2009
Pastor Waldschmidt
Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8 “ Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you… Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?”
The Lord is Near With His Word
I. As a guide for you.
II. As a witness for the world.
In the name of Jesus, the way, the truth and the life, dear fellow redeemed children of God,
Did you have an imaginary friend when you were growing up? My mother often told the story of a time when she scolded my sister for crossing the street alone. My sister replied that it was OK because she had looked one way and “George had looked the other way.” George was her imaginary friend. George didn’t make my mom feel any better about my sister crossing the street. Today in God’s Word we see the Children of Israel standing at the edge of the promised land. I wonder if the people who were living in the land of Canaan at that time thought that God was an imaginary friend of the Israelites. After all, they all had their idols of wood and stone that they could see and touch. Perhaps the Children of Israel would even feel that way as they moved into the promised land and they didn’t have that pillar of cloud and fire leading them around anymore like they had in the desert o lead them around. Maybe to some people in your life God might seem like your imaginary friend. But God assured the Israelites and He assures you and me that He is near. The Lord is near us with His word. The Word of the Lord is I. a guide for us and II. a witness for the world.
Deuteronomy means “a second giving of the law.” Remember that the Children of Israel had refused to trust God when the spies were sent into the promised land. 10 spies came back with the report that the people there would huge, powerful and on top of that, they lived in walled cities. They thought God would not be near them. They didn’t listen to Caleb and Joshua who said that the Lord would be near them and help them to win the victory. Because they thought the Lord would not be near them, God had the people live in the desert, wondering from place to place, until all of the adults who refused to trust in the Lord were dead. Now after 40 years, the people stood on the edge of the promised land. Now Moses, their leader for the trip out of Egypt, would not be with them as they entered the promised land. Before the people went in to possession of the land God was giving them, Moses takes this chance to remind the people of what the Lord had said. “Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.” He goes over God’s law for a second time. This review gave the people a chance to see that the Lord would be near to them with His Word. His Word would guide them in the new land.
There would be plenty of things to make the Children of Israel forget that the Lord was near. Remember that the Promised Land is described a land “flowing with milk and honey.” It was also flowing with blood- the blood of children sacrificed to idols. Later in their history even some of the kings of Israel took up this practice. It was a land flowing with gold and silver. The precious metals had been melted and pounded into the shape of idols. Those idols would catch the eyes of some of the Israelites who wanted the pocket the gold. God said, “The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them and do not take them for yourselves or you will be ensnared by them.” Those idols would also catch the hearts of many of the Israelites who would forget that the Lord was near. The Land flowed with all kinds of material wealth. The water they must have searched for and rationed in the desert would be plentiful in the new land with “streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys.” They had gathered and eaten manna for 40 years but now in this new land, “bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing.” That’s why God said, “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.” The land God was giving them was a land “where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.” That’s why God said, “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God failing to observe his commands his laws and decrees…otherwise when you build fine houses and settle down and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then you heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God.”
If I’m asked what I want on my hamburger I’ll reply “nothing, I’ll have it plain.” The people behind the counter usually look at me like I’m from Mars but that’s the way I like it. It is sort of like it’s ruined if it is doused in catsup and mustard. Maybe you have a favorite food that if something is added to it, is not your favorite food anymore. Some people think that adding catsup and mustard makes a hamburger better. That might be true of a hamburger. That is not true of God’s Word. When something is added to God’s Word is makes it difficult to tell what is God’s Word and what is just what sinful humans think. If we are very fussy about our food, imagine how God feels about someone adding something to the living and active holy word of God. God told the Israelites and he tells us, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.” God knew that there would be plenty of false prophets in the land who would “wag their own tongues and yet declare, “the Lord declares.”
Imagine that we had a free give away today at church- Free football spikes and 8 track tapes for the first 500 worshippers. Most of us I think would have to say, “these are nice but not really very useful. The 8 track tapes are sort of outdated.” God’s word is something that is always useful. It isn’t outdated. It doesn’t need to be spiced up and edited and revised for a new generation. You can see that the Lord is near with his word speaking to us in the United States in 2009. Our land flows with the blood of children- from the blood of children our nation has allowed to be killed in abortion clinics to the blood of children killed by people who were supposed to be taking care of them to the blood of children killed by senseless violence in our streets. Gold and silver fill our land. Our homes and our garages are filled with stuff. Our hearts and our lives are consumed with a desire to gobble up more stuff. There are all kinds of false gods for us to worship. There are all kinds of things to put on the throne of our hearts instead of God with names like work and power and sex and football. Churches across our land want to add to God’s word what they think it should say and subtract from the commands of God the parts they don’t like.
How closely have you been following God’s commands? Now before you answer that remember that the Lord really is near. He has seen everything that has gone on in your life in the last week. He has observed every action, heard every word and is aware of every thought. When it comes right down to it we have to admit that we have not followed the commands of the God we follow, the God who is near us. The punishment for sinning against God is sitting in fire forever in hell. This week I watched a documentary on the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. The documentary featured a woman who was trapped in a burning office at the pentagon. She said she was imagining in her mind how much it hurts for your clothes to catch fire and how long it takes to die. At that moment the sprinkler system was activated and above her and her life was saved. God’s Word gives guidance to those who fear the fires of hell. It points us to the Savior God wanted us near to him forever and so he took the fire for us. He sent His Son “who made his dwelling among us.” We have seen His glory in the face of Jesus on the pages of God’s Word. It tells us of how Jesus gave His life for ours so that we could live in heaven.
Do you ever feel like you are being watched? It’s because you are. Not that someone is stalking you. But people are watching you. They noticed how you act. Jesus says, “You will be my witnesses.” That is what you are. That’s what the Children of Israel were too. They were witnesses of the true God. The Lord would be near His people with his commands and they would be a witness to the world.
Moses told the people, “Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?” I’m sure the people who came into contact with the Israelites noticed some strange things about them. They spoke about those ten commandments the Lord had given them. It had to have struck them that their false gods had been silent. Their religions all revolved around what they thought their god wanted. Their god hadn’t told them because wood and stone don’t talk.
The people around the Israelites also must have noticed some of their strange customs. They didn’t eat bacon or pork chops or shellfish or blood sausage. Every seven days, the worked stopped and they rested and worshipped. At the center of the camp was a tabernacle with things that went on there that must have seemed strange to the Canaanites. In all of these ceremonial laws God was pointing both the Israelites who observed those laws and the gentiles ahead to the Savior who would come from Abraham’s family. The Savior pictured in the ceremonial law would bring rest and peace. The Lamb of God would take the punishment sinners deserved.
People notice you and me too. They notice the things we thing and say and do. Are they seeing that Christ Jesus is near us? Are we reflecting Christ to our family and friends. God’s Word gives guidance in how we can thank Jesus. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
Do people think that God is a friend in your imagination? Though for now we can only imagine what Jesus looks like, he is not just an imaginary friend. He is very real. He loves us. He died and rose for us. He won’t leave our side. He guides us with His word. Amen.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

September 6th,2009

September 6/7. 2009
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Joshua 24:1-24

DON’T LET YOUR LABOR BE IN VAIN: SERVE THE LORD

I. Consider How The Lord Has Served Us (1-5,8,11)
II. Should Not Our Response Be Obvious? (13-15a)
III. May Our Serving Show Our Response (15b-18,22-24)

This Monday is Labor Day, and the word "labor" quickly makes me think of two Bible passages. One is written in Matthew 11 where Jesus says, "Come to me, all you are weary and burdened (or: labor and are heavy laden), and I will give you rest." He is talking about rest for our souls because of the forgiveness of sins He won for us. The second one is this encouragement in 1 Corinthians 15, the beautiful resurrection chapter: "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always gives yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." The "Therefore" refers to the victory Jesus won. Without Jesus there is no forgiveness, without His resurrection there is no true life. Without faith in Him, laboring and life itself would be in vain.

DON’T LET YOUR LABOR BE IN VAIN: SERVE THE LORD

I. CONSIDER HOW THE LORD HAS SERVED US (1-5,8,11)

1. The historical setting here (1)

Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

a) Moses had led God’s people up to the promised land; then, after Moses died, Joshua had the assignment to lead them in

b) the time of our text is after they were in the land and now Joshua’s death was near - this was his farewell to the people

2. The background to Egypt (2-4)

Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.’"

a) the promised land had been entered way back by Abraham

b) but, to protect the Israelites from the evil around them in that land, God planned to let them grow into many people in a different land, in Egypt, and used a famine to get them there

3. The return to the promised land (5,8,11)

"‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land.’"

a) the exodus took place [is this history unfamiliar to you? - then please open your Bibles at home and read the history God recorded in Genesis and Exodus], and they came first to land east of the Jordan, the area where so much is happening today

"Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands.’"

b) now, after Jericho’s walls fell, they were back in the promised land and God divided the land among the twelve tribes [if you don’t remember this, read about it in your Bibles]

4. All of this was to fulfill God’s promise

a) you know the promise: a Savior from sin and death!

b) so that this Savior could clearly be identified when He came, God had given details about where He would be born (not only the promised land but the exact place, Bethlehem), the detail of a virgin birth, and details about how He would labor and what He would do to defeat our enemy the devil

c) yes, history truly is spoken of as His story, God’s story, God’s record about how He carried out His plan of salvation which involved an atoning death and a victorious resurrection from the dead in a specific nation and geographical location

II. SHOULD NOT OUR RESPONSE BE OBVIOUS? (13-15a)

1. What we have is clearly God’s doing (13)

‘"So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’"

a) this land and what was in it was a gift of God’s doing

b) so is our salvation; sinners that we are, we could not earn forgiveness, we could not "knock down the walls" to get into heaven by our doing; instead, as Scripture tells us, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works." (Eph. 2:8)

2. To this there should be an obvious response (14)

"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away

the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt,

and serve the LORD."

a) if God did all He did for the Israelites, shouldn’t they very obviously want to show gratitude by laboring, serving Him?

b) and if God saved us by the life and death and resurrection of His Son so that we can live with sins forgiven and have the promise of the eternal promised land of heaven before us, should not our reaction to love and labor for Him be obvious?

3. But there also is a natural response (15a)

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living."

a) by nature we are sinful, the natural mind is enmity against God

b) what is natural is to serve sin, to follow the gods of my self and what I want, the gods around us that glorify materialism and selfishness and greed and slandering and misuse of sex

4. That natural response would be laboring in vain

a) love the world, love money, love worldly pleasures, worship at their altars, labor for all they have to offer

b) but what profit to gain all that and to lose true life in heaven?

c) once lost, there is no "stimulus package" that will get it back for you - heaven lost is heaven lost, labor in vain!

III. MAY OUR SERVING SHOW OUR RESPONSE (15b-18,22-24)

1. The people said they would serve (15b-18)

"But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God."

a) Joshua said he would, and took responsibility for his family

b) the people said the same, and hopefully they took responsibility for their children, as we want that today too

2. But remember what happened (22-24)

Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD." "Yes, we are witnesses," they replied. "Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are
among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."

And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him."

a) what they said was good, but what they did was not good

b) not serving became their history, and it was only the grace of God that preserved a remnant of this nation so that there finally was a birth in Bethlehem, God’s Son born to pay the wages of sin for the world, God’s Son victorious so that we can look forward to the eternal and glorious promised land of heaven

3. To what have we witnessed? (22)

Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD." "Yes, we are witnesses," they replied.

a) at confirmation time: "faithful to the true God, stay with His Word!" - but then what has happened to many? - parents, are you concerned about your households, as Joshua was?

b) membership form promises - part of what was witnessed: "promise to attend divine services regularly, to partake of the Lord’s Supper frequently, to support the spread of the Gospel out of love for the Savior and His work" - but then why is church attendance declining, why do parents seem to show less concern for children coming to church unless school is on?

4. May we serve sincerely in response to God’s love (24)

And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him."

a) Israel lost much by saying, but not doing; and we would too

b) may God for Jesus’ sake forgive us for our failures, for the weakness we seem to tolerate, for our lack of zeal to labor

c) and may His Spirit strengthen us by Word and Sacrament to let our lives witness to the fact that we truly want to serve the Lord our God whose daily forgiveness means eternal life

The calendar reminds us that it is Labor Day time. May today’s sermon text remind us every day that we should not labor in vain. Instead of vain laboring, let us say with Joshua, "As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Yes, "Always gives yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Amen.